[Yue Yue: That's good! Are you at the hospital with him now?]
[Qingyi: No, he's already been discharged and gone home.]
[Yue Yue: Didn't you say he was in Sea City? If he was poisoned, shouldn't he have been sent to a hospital in Sea City? How did he end up in Capital City?]
[Qingyi: ...He was poisoned here.]
[Yue Yue: Impressive, he came to see you and ended up in the hospital himself.]
[Qingyi: ...You're overthinking it!]
[Yue Yue: Let's chat later, my milk tea order has arrived. I'm going to get my delivery.]
After ending her chat with Shen Hanyue, Feng Qingyi began studying.
By now, she had completed all the advanced painting courses. The one-on-one teaching in the virtual classroom had been extremely effective.
The shortlist for the previous painting competition had also been officially released, and she was prominently featured. Feng Qingyi wasn't surprised by this.
It was now time to prepare for the final competition piece. The theme for the finals was "Ancient Charm."
She already had some ideas and thought she might go take a look at Shengjing.
Although it was a dynasty that didn't exist in history, it certainly didn't lack ancient charm.
The next morning, Feng Qingyi changed her clothes, applied makeup, and tied her hair in a simple bun before arriving at the manor in Shengjing.
Feng Qingyi looked around the courtyard, trying to figure out how to get out onto the streets.
"Little apprentice, you're here!" Qian Jue suddenly appeared behind her.
Feng Qingyi turned to look at him, "What are you doing here?"
"I found out you were staying here, so I came to wait for you!" Qian Jue said with a smile.
Feng Qingyi looked at Qian Jue's weathered face and somewhat exaggerated white hair and long beard, feeling confused.
His voice was clear and youthful, completely at odds with his appearance.
"Little apprentice, why are you staring at me like that?" Qian Jue asked.
Feng Qingyi: "I just feel like your face doesn't match your voice at all."
"Oh, the little girl is quite perceptive." Qian Jue said with a laugh.
Feng Qingyi looked at him, "So I guess I'm right, you don't actually look like this at all."
"Wandering the world with just one face is so boring. Why don't I teach you the art of disguise?" Qian Jue suggested.
Feng Qingyi shook her head, "No need."
"What a boring girl. Come with me, I'll take you on a proper tour of Shengjing City today."
With that, Qian Jue grabbed Feng Qingyi by the collar and leaped over the wall.
Feng Qingyi struggled, "Can you not grab me like this every time? We can talk about this civilly."
"I'm just trying to save you some energy, seeing as you're so weak," Qian Jue said.
After clearing the wall, Qian Jue set Feng Qingyi down on the ground.
"Let's go. Since you don't want me to carry you, just follow me!"
"Stay close, Shengjing City is quite big. If you get lost, I won't come looking for you."
Feng Qingyi: "I don't recall agreeing to go out with you."
"Your agreement doesn't matter, as long as I've decided. Let's go!" Qian Jue walked ahead.
Feng Qingyi silently followed behind him. She had planned to explore the city streets today anyway.
Now she had a free tour guide, might as well take advantage of it.
After walking for who knows how long, Feng Qingyi was almost out of energy.
"Qian Jue, where are you taking me? How much longer?"
Qian Jue turned around, "You're too weak. It won't be much longer."
"Can we take a car?" Feng Qingyi asked softly.
Qian Jue: "Do you want to take a bus or a taxi?"
Feng Qingyi: "Either is fine."
Qian Jue sighed, "Little girl, where do you think we are? There are no cars for you to ride here."
"...How do you know about buses and taxis?" Feng Qingyi looked at him puzzled.
Qian Jue: "You can assume we're from worlds of the same dimension."
"So have you always lived here?" Feng Qingyi was curious.
"More or less! Let's not talk about this. I'm taking you out for a stroll."
Before long, Feng Qingyi followed Qian Jue to a bustling marketplace.
Qian Jue walked in front, with Feng Qingyi following closely behind. Soon, they entered a gambling house.
"When you said you were taking me out for a stroll, did you mean strolling around in here?"
Qian Jue asked, "Do you have money?"
Feng Qingyi remembered the few gold bars in her small bag, "Yes."
"The money you have isn't from this world, is it? The money from your world is useless here. If we're going out for a stroll, we naturally need to get some money first."
Feng Qingyi felt that gambling houses were dangerous places, "What if we accidentally lose it all?"
"You little girl, it's clear you haven't seen much of the world. Gambling doesn't rely on luck, but skill. Just watch from the side!"
Qian Jue was clearly very confident in his abilities. He skillfully took out his money pouch and tossed it onto the gambling table.
Feng Qingyi stood next to him, watching as he and others rolled dice.
For Feng Qingyi, who had never seen such a scene before, everything here was very novel.
She kept looking left and right, observing the people and the surroundings.
After winning two rounds, Qian Jue promptly collected his winnings and called Feng Qingyi to leave.
Feng Qingyi: "That was quick. Are we done already?"
"Everything should be done in moderation, including gambling."
Although Qian Jue didn't say it explicitly, Feng Qingyi understood that winning too much might attract unwanted attention.
"Now I'll take you to a teahouse to drink tea and listen to storytelling!"
As they walked out of the gambling house, preparing to head towards the nearby Mingxiang Pavilion.
A man passed by Feng Qingyi, and she moved to the side.
"Thief! Catch the thief! Everyone help catch that man in black clothes up ahead!"
A loud female voice rang out in the street, attracting everyone's attention.
A woman in green clothes was running swiftly down the street, chasing after the thief.
The successful thief, realizing he had been discovered, fled in a hurry.
Feng Qingyi instinctively felt for her small bag and found that the contents were gone.
Qian Jue: "Did you lose something?"
"Quick, help me catch the thief!" Her phone was still in there!
"Then you'd better start chasing!"
Feng Qingyi sprinted forward, her speed somewhat hindered by her clothing.
Qian Jue strolled leisurely behind, showing no signs of urgency.
After running for who knows how long, Feng Qingyi finally caught up. The thief was now lying on the ground, pinned down by the woman in green clothes.
"Miss, I'll return everything I stole, please let me go!"
The woman in green noticed Feng Qingyi, "Miss, is there something wrong?"
Feng Qingyi pointed at the man under her foot, "He stole my belongings!"
The woman in green stomped on the thief again, "What did you steal from this young lady? Hand it over immediately!"
